Good Riddance
Set during a cold, grey autumn in the Laurentians, Les Bons Débarras presents a fallen world seen through the eyes of an obsessive young girl who wreaks havoc on the lives of the ones she loves.
In an isolated rural area in Quebec, thirteen-year-old Marion lives with her mother, Michelle, and her uncle, Guy, who has a developmental disability. They eke out an existence by chopping wood and selling it as firewood. Marion is precocious and sensitive, and obsessed with maintaining an exclusive claim on her mother's love.
Many people demand Michelle's attention: Marion; Guy; Maurice, her boyfriend; and Gaetan, a mechanic and friend of Marion's. Michelle discovers she's pregnant and attempts to share her joy with Marion who instead anguishes over the news and then leaves home. Eventually she returns, and proceeds to drive Guy to suicide and persuade Michelle to cut ties from Maurice and the outside world. The film's austere and evocative imagery, spare narrative action and brilliant performances build to a climax of horror.
In an isolated rural area in Quebec, thirteen-year-old Marion lives with her mother, Michelle, and her uncle, Guy, who has a developmental disability. They eke out an existence by chopping wood and selling it as firewood. Marion is precocious and sensitive, and obsessed with maintaining an exclusive claim on her mother's love.
Many people demand Michelle's attention: Marion; Guy; Maurice, her boyfriend; and Gaetan, a mechanic and friend of Marion's. Michelle discovers she's pregnant and attempts to share her joy with Marion who instead anguishes over the news and then leaves home. Eventually she returns, and proceeds to drive Guy to suicide and persuade Michelle to cut ties from Maurice and the outside world. The film's austere and evocative imagery, spare narrative action and brilliant performances build to a climax of horror.
| Writer(s): | Réjean Ducharme |